Many people suffer from lower urinary tract dysfunction, also known as neurogenic bladder. Neurogenic bladder can be defined as impaired urinary function due to neurological injury or disease, such as spinal cord injury (SCI). Current methods for managing neurogenic bladder and other chronic urinary retention disorders are to drain the bladder using (a) intermittent catheterization (IC), or (b) indwelling Foley catheters. These methods, however, are associated with relatively high rates of urinary tract infection and genito-urinary (GU) injury, each of which diminishes a patient's quality of life. Furthermore, because some individuals with neurogenic bladder lack bladder sensation, and thus cannot accurately perceive bladder fullness, they are susceptible to bladder over-filling. This can result in urinary “accidents” and/or urinary reflux, and urinary reflux presents a risk of infection and tissue damage to the upper urinary tract.
To avoid these problems, individuals with neurogenic bladder on an IC program commonly rely on a timed catheterization schedule. This approach is imprecise and may lead to catheterization more frequently than necessary, which can increase the risk of infection and GU injury. Therefore, it is desirable to provide an improved urinary prosthesis that helps to alleviate one or all of the preceding problems.